We welcomed five girls into our home on MTV's Making the Band, and with a ready made fanbase the group shot to number one and became a household name. However the road to a sophomore album wasn't as easy for Danity Kane. Rumors of breakups, breakdown in management and poor promotion, left the group vulnerable to being yet another casualty of reality television.

Lucky for these girls they have talent that surpasses the average pre-packaged record label product. So when I had the opportunity to chit chat to the home team chick Dawn Richard, I made sure to get the dish on everything from how she went from New Orleans HoneyBee to international pop star to how she really felt about working with Diddy. Dawn also gives you insight on their newest release Welcome to the Dollhouse which is available today. Plus, what's up with her and Que? What other reality show did she try out for? Do bloggers get under her skin?

Part 1: The Beginning

Continue reading to listen to the entire interview and catch The Leak...

Part 2: Welcome the the Dollhouse

Part 3: What's Next for Danity Kane

Part 4: Fan Questions

The Leak: Welcome to the Dollhouse

The sophomore effort of Danity Kane is a collection of futuristic sounds that lends itself to 70s and 80s grooves. A healthy set of songs, laced with a few artistic interludes, Welcome to the Dollhouse reintroduces a set of talented vocalists. From R&B to Pop, it is a well rounded collection that touches on fun and flirty, hot and steamy, and get up and dance tracks.

Back in the lab with producers Brian Michael Cox and Mario Winans from their debut release, they also worked with new hitmakers such as Stereotypes [“Damaged”], The Clutch [Mary J. Blige, Ciara] and Scyience [Jay Z, Beyonce]. The ladies were able to stretch their writing skills [and collect on those publishing rights] with tracks like “Strip Tease” and “Lights Out” and “Picture This.”

The ladies vocal acrobatics are fierce and blend so well on the album, while being able to maintain their individual sound. You’ll hear more from Shannon as well as Aubrey, and as always Dawn, D. Woods and Andrea stand out as homerun hitters. You can definitely hear a softer side of D. Woods. The move toward “International Pop” is very evident in choice of melodies and beats, there’s an infusion of dance, techno, and funk through out the album, especially in “Bad Girl” which features Missy Elliot and “Pretty Boy.” The group-penned “Strip Tease” is pop-friendly track that is dripping in sex. You won’t miss on their ability to produce a beautiful ballad with the beautifully dramatic “Is Anybody Listening.” The complex layering of voices is beyond the average girl group.

As with their debut, Danity Kane, you get a complete album and fans won’t be disappointed. This time around, I won’t be surprised when they go platinum.